Fated Circle
by Angelic Dawn
Summary: Taking place directly after the game things have changed quite a bit in Balamb Garden for better and for worse.
1. The Week After

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, names, places in this story and one scene involving Laguna and Julia in the Galbadian Hotel. Everything owned by Squaresoft apart from the actual concept of this fic which is done by me, all me.  
  
Author's note: This is your typical clichéd Squall/Rinoa/Quistis/Seifer love fic and I thought I should just give you a warning first although it does get fairly interesting at times. Anyway, I'm sorry, LOL (whatever that means).   
  
FATED CIRCLE  
BY BLACK EMPEROR  
(c) 2001  
  
  
It was another quiet night in Galbadia, it was deadly silent and the buildings were sleeping peacefully. The Inn was quiet as well, not much business at this time of year around autumn so Squall and Rinoa thought it would be a perfect opportunity to spend their honeymoon there away from all the hassle of fighting sorceress' and settling rivalries; that was the last thing they wanted.  
  
The door opened in room 217 and Squall walked in carrying Rinoa in his arms. He shut the door and made his way over to the bed where he laid Rinoa down and climbed on to the bed next to her.  
  
"This is going to be the beginning of a long and happy future," Rinoa said, smiling, gazing into his eyes.  
  
Squall took his time in responding, only continued to stare back at Rinoa. "Yeah," he said. "It sure is."  
  
"Thank you, Squall. I'm glad it turned out like this."  
  
"Me, too."  
  
They kissed and turned out the lights.  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
Cid switched on the lights in his office and walked inside. It was still the same, nothing had changed: his desk was parked right by the window so he could admire the view, his wife's office next door, elevator straight down the hall, always neat and tidy, not a thing out of place. Only something was different, something didn't feel the same. He looked on the wall and saw the special plaque he had put on the wall that read: 'We as SeeDs must stand proud and tall for it is our duty to kill the sorceress and protect the world from danger'.  
  
He took it off the wall for a moment and held it in his hands. He rubbed his glasses clean against his old red jumper, same one since the Garden started and looked at it again. It didn't have the same feel as it did when he first put it up all those years ago. He could remember that day exactly, every second of it, from all the people he met, to the clothes he was wearing, it was a special day in his life, it was a proud day, the day that he opened the Garden. Even though Cid's pride would be dampened with NORG demanding that the Garden was his, it never stopped Cid from believing in the Garden and believing that what he and his wife had set up was right. Until now.  
  
He had gotten up early to make sure that he got to his office before Edea did. He didn't want her to see him in this state, he wanted to be alone, away from it all. The plaque that he held in his hands which he took so much pride in now felt like nothing, like vapours tossed into the atmosphere, never returning. Cid looked outside the window: the sun was just dawning over the horizon and the whole continent of Balamb was filled with new hope, for a new day had started. A new start, Cid thought, a change perhaps.  
  
It had only been a week since they through that huge party for the home-coming SeeDs, it seemed like an eternity ago, the last time Cid and Edea smiled. Squall and Rinoa had gone off to Galbadia to get married, he was sure that they were going to live happily ever after and the others: Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, and Zell were all happily readjusting to their new lifestyles now that Ultimecia had been defeated. But for Cid, that was his one and only concern. He had no problem with retiring and living with his wife, Edea at the Garden for the rest of his life, but it didn't seem right, it seemed that all he had worked so hard for in life was over, his dream - over. That was his one and only concern.  
  
Now that Ultimecia had been defeated there was no reason for the Garden, after all, it was only designed to defeat the sorceress and now that she had been defeated, the Garden's existence and his seemed pointless. He put the plaque down on the table and began to cry.  
  
Cid heard a noise coming from the corridor, he quickly turned to see what was there.  
  
"Who's there?" he asked, with a little hesitation.  
  
There was no response.  
  
Cid towards the door and moved very slowly as he backed up against the wall and poked his head round so he could see what was there. Nothing. Relief. Maybe I do need to retire, he thought, I'm getting way too stressed out here.  
  
He turned back and saw a figure standing in front of him, he gasped.  
  
"What are you doing up this early?"  
  
Cid seemed surprised. It was his wife, Edea.  
  
Cid tried to think of an answer, but the words stumbled out of his mouth: "I just wanted to see the sunrise."  
  
Edea laughed. "Cid, darling, you haven't wanted to see the sunrise in years, why now? You said that you hated it and you thought that it was a boring waste of time and why would anyone waste their time watching the sunrise. That's what you told me. I remember it well, it was our wedding day."  
  
"Well, I just wanted to see it okay. I just wanted a change from all the same, boring, repetitive things we do everyday, okay, Edea?"  
  
Edea was stunned. His tone was quite angry, she had never seen him this angry before. He had always been compose even in the face of adversity and even against the likes of NORG and Ultimecia, he always kept his nerve and acted professionally as the headmaster of Balamb Garden, proud as always. But he looked and acted was quite different, his hair was a mess and he hadn't taken his red jumper off in a week. He stormed off leaving Edea looking into his office and seeing the plaque that he ripped off the wall lying on the table like a piece of garbage. Edea was concerned.  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
Irvine polished off his Exeter and twirled it around his finger. He looked around the cafeteria hoping that someone would be impressed. He looked to Quistis, Selphie, and even Zell, but they sat motionless at a table with their heads hanging low.  
  
"I wonder when Squall's coming back," said Quistis.  
  
"Yeah, I miss him, it's no fun without him," said Selphie.  
  
"He won't be back for ages," said Zell. "He's off on his honeymoon with Rinoa. I wouldn't know why he would want to come back to this dump anyway."  
  
"How can you say that?" Quistis asked, shocked. "This is your home, Zell, this is where you grew up."  
  
"No way, man, my home's in Balamb Town with my Ma."  
  
"Then why don't you just go back there, it would stop me having to listen to you complain all the time."  
  
Irvine came over. "Guys, guys, there's no need to fight, we're through with that, remember?"  
  
They all look disappointed and said: "Yeah,"  
  
"We don't need violence at a time like this, what we need is love and friendship and harmony."  
  
Irvine waited for a reaction, but none came. He waited for Selphie to start jumping up and down waving their arms around, screaming. But it never happened. Irvine then turned to Zell.  
  
"Wanna hotdog, Zell, I know that'll cheer you up."  
  
"No thanks,"  
  
"You don't want a hotdog? Geez, what the hell is wrong with you? You're normally the first in line, jumping rearing to go. You hold the record for the ,most hotdogs eaten in an hour: 75, that's pretty impressive, man, and now all of a sudden, you're not even interested. What's with you, man?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm just not hungry, okay?"  
  
"Yeah," said Quistis. "We're just a little tired and stressed out. After all, it's only been a week since we defeated Ultimecia. We need some time to recuperate, but we'll be fine in a while."  
  
"Well, let me know when you are because I'm getting a bit bored round here myself. Most of the girls have left or are on holiday, the pretty ones have anyway. So if you need me I'll be in the Quad, okay?"  
  
"Okay,"  
  
Irvine left the cafeteria and the others continued as they were before still staring into nothing.  
  
The week had started off perfectly for SeeDs, the celebration and then the party, life couldn't get better. After a while though things started to change, Squall went off with Rinoa to Galbadia to get married and there was nothing left to do now at the Garden with their leader away and the sorceress dead.  
  
Quistis tried to entertain herself on some days by thinking about Squall and thinking about what might have been, but she couldn't take that thought for long, it was eating away at her and had been for some time. She had to do something to take her mind off it.  
  
Selphie's energy levels dramatically dropped over the course of the week and she ended up throwing her Strange Vision away. Zell, he just stood around all day punching air hoping one day to be a great leader like Squall. He wanted more out of his life, he wanted a new life, he wanted love. He was sick with Zell.  
  
Irvine sat around in the Quad looking at the stage that he and Selphie had helped make. There hadn't been a band playing on it for ages. Irvine could imagine the music echoing throughout his head, it seemed so empty, it was 'Eyes on Me', it wasn't the same, but he couldn't get it out of his head. It was bugging him.  
  
Edea came down to see Irvine. He noticed her walking down the steps, her trim figure walking smoothly down the steps, he raised an eyebrow. Irvine got up and took his hat off and bowed courtly.  
  
"No, no, there's no need for that," Edea said, smiling.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Have you seen, Cid?"  
  
"No, not since yesterday, why?"  
  
"He's been acting really strange lately and I don't know what it is."  
  
"Yeah, everyone else has as well, I don't know what it is."  
  
"Well thanks anyway, and if you see him, tell me, alright?"  
  
"Will do,"  
  
Edea turned around and left. Irvine watched as her cute behind wiggled from side to side as she walked. Irvine raised his eyebrow again, but his thoughts were quickly distracted by 'Eyes on Me' playing in his head over and over again. He clutched his head and ran out screaming.   
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
Quistis and Zell made their way to the dormitory. It had been yet another long, tiring, boring day. Selphie had gone to bed much earlier than usual, but Zell and Quistis had decided to stay up late to see if anything interesting happened. It didn't. They couldn't even find Irvine or Headmaster Cid, it was like the whole place was deserted.  
  
"Ah, the end of another day," said Zell stretching his arms outwards.  
  
"You don't have to go to bed yet, you know, we could stay up a little longer."  
  
"What would be the point? We'd just be doing the same things over and over again. Might as well go to sleep where at least I can dream of a better life."  
  
Quistis sighed. "A better life, that's just what I need," she paused. "I can't believe it, Squall's only been gone a few days and already I'm out of my mind. I want something exciting to happen like monsters coming from outer space or an evil sorceress threatening to take over the world, I want that."  
  
"Well you can always stick around for the next thousand years for the next Lunar Cry."  
  
Quistis sighed again. "Maybe things'll be better in the morning."  
  
"Yeah, maybe they will,"  
  
"I wonder what Irvine is doing now,"  
  
"Probably chasing after some girls, you know him."  
  
"Yeah, but how can he be all high spirits when we feel completely useless. Even Selphie's been down-and-out lately."  
  
"I dunno, I guess it's something in his genes or something."  
  
Quistis laughed a little. "Yeah, maybe," a long pause, both too shy to speak. "It's really great of you to stay up with me tonight and I know how this has been bothering you as well."  
  
"Oh, don't mention it, it was a pleasure after all the times you helped me when Seifer used to pick on me, it's a pleasure to help you."  
  
"Thanks, Zell,"  
  
Quistis hugged Zell tightly around the waist and then moved away.  
  
"I better get some sleep," said Quistis. "It's no doubt going to be a long, boring day tomorrow. Hope Squall comes back."  
  
"Yeah, me too,"  
  
"Anyway, goodnight,"  
  
"Goodnight,"  
  
Zell watched Quistis make her away towards the dormitory and smiled to himself more out of frustration and anger than out of joy. He could see Irvine coming up towards him out of the corner of his eye. Zell wasn't in the mood to speak to him, but he couldn't just run away so he smiled and waved as Irvine came closer.  
  
"Hiya, how ya doing?" Irvine asked.  
  
"Same as usual,"  
  
"Where's Selphie?"  
  
"She went to bed hours ago, it's probably best if you leave her."  
  
"Alright," a long pause ensued between the two. "What's with you, what's with everyone?"  
  
"I dunno, it's just everything I guess. I mean, what's the point?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'what's the point'?  
  
"What's the point of this?" said Zell throwing his arms around in the air. "What's the point of life?"  
  
Irvine chuckled to himself. "You're asking me what the point of life is?" he laughed again. "I'm probably not the best person to ask, why don't you ask Squall, he thinks about these things all the time."  
  
"He's not here,"  
  
"Oh yeah, well, if you ask me, the meaning of life is just to have fun, have a laugh, play with some guns and go looking for pretty girls."  
  
"Is that it? There must be more to it than that, there must be."  
  
Irvine looked at Zell, concerned. He could see big black rings underneath his eyes.  
"Geez, man, looks like you need some sleep."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but I can't be bothered, sleep gets me thinking too much."  
  
"You're not going to turn out like Squall, are you?"  
  
"I would like to think so."  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
A boat pulled up on the shores of Balamb Harbour. Squall got out, the sun light blinding him momentarily. He put his hand in front of his eyes to shield them and turned back towards the boat; it was a glorious day.  
  
He smiled as he saw Rinoa standing in the doorway. He extended a hand to Rinoa which she held gratefully to help her climb ashore. They held hands like a happily married couple and made their way up into the town.  
  
"This is going to be a great surprise," said Squall.  
  
"Yeah," Rinoa said. "They're not expecting us back for a week, this is gonna be so much fun to see the looks on their faces."  
  
"I wonder what they've been doing with themselves."  
  
"Probably something boring, nothing compared to us."  
  
They both laughed and Squall wrapped his arms around Rinoa and laid his head down on his shoulders as he continued to laugh.  
  
"Seriously though," he said. "They probably haven't even noticed that we've been gone."  
  
"Ya think?"  
  
"Yeah, why would they? They've got plenty to do at the Garden. They don't need me to run the place."  
  
They walked up the path leading out of Balamb Town and towards Balamb Garden together. They then stood at the front gate and looked up at the grand building.  
  
"Home sweet home," said Squall.  
  
"I suppose you're going to give me a piggy back again."  
  
"I gave you one last week, carried you half way around the world. Anyway, my back's sore after that, I need a little break."  
  
"Come on, I'm your wife and you're supposed to carry me over the threshold."  
Squall sighed. "Uh, alright, then."  
  
Squall then scooped Rinoa up off her feet. She clung tightly onto his neck, kissing him softly as he carried her inside the Garden.  
  
By the entrance, Cid was sitting all alone on one of the turnstiles. He could hear laughter coming from the entrance so he turned his head to see what was going on. To his surprise he saw Squall with a huge smile on his face carrying Rinoa in his arms. Cid checked his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he wasn't, it was Squall, he was back.  
  
Cid jumped off the turnstile and went to greet him. Squall then saw Cid and was also surprised, he expected him to be in his office working away.  
  
"What are you doing back so soon?" Cid asked.  
  
"We wanted to surprise you," said Squall.  
  
"Yeah, we thought we would come and see the old gang again," Rinoa said.  
"Well that's very kind of you, Miss Heartilly,"  
  
"That's Mrs Leonhart now,"  
  
Cid laughed a little and cleaned his glasses again. "Oh yes, of course. So I suppose you want me to get out of your way. You don't want an old fool like me to get in the way of young love."  
  
Squall flickered a smile thinking he was joking. Squall then continued round the hallway with Rinoa in his arms until they reached the dormitory. They kissed again when Quistis came out with Zell. They were more than a little surprised.  
  
"Squall? Rinoa?" exclaimed Quistis. "You're back!"  
  
"Yep, we thought we'd come back early and surprise you."  
  
"How was the honeymoon?"  
  
"It was great, Galbadia's a great place now that Edea, I mean, Ultimecia's no longer in charge."  
  
"How's life been here?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Pretty good," said Quistis, trying to hide what she really meant. "It's been pretty good. Of course, it hasn't been the same without you."  
  
"Yeah, man," said Zell. "We've missed ya loads."  
  
"Thanks, Zell," said Squall. "We really appreciate that."  
  
Irvine and Selphie then came running along the hallway spotting Squall and Rinoa. Selphie had a bit more life in her than she did the previous day. Squall was happy to see them, but also looked down at Rinoa in some annoyance. It seems that everyone's intent on ruining our moment, he thought. He then put Rinoa down and held his back.  
  
"Geez, you've been gone way too long," Irvine said.  
  
"Well, we tried to get back as fast as we could but Galbadia's such an exciting city and Rinoa's father's there and everything. It's like one big party 24/7."   
  
The others stared down at the floor. "Yeah, great, must've been a ball,"  
  
"Yeah, it was. There were firework displays and parades, the hotel was great and it brought back a lot of good memories as well."  
  
"I suppose that's all we've got to go on now," said Quistis.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing, it just seems like now that all those things we did are just memories."  
  
"Well of course they are, they're in the past, they're done. There's no point dwelling on them otherwise you're never going to live a happy life. Rinoa taught me that the only way to lead a happy life is to live life without regret and that's what you've gotta do. Sure they were memories and they were good memories but there'll be more in the future and in the present."  
  
"I suppose so," she didn't know what to make of Squall's statement, it seemed to make her mind go round in circles even more. Zell's was the same for without those memories he would have nothing to hold on to, but also with them only being memories, he had nothing to reach for.  
  
Rinoa was a little upset. She had expected a huge welcoming party for them, or at least a great big hello and congratulations on your marriage, but nothing. The mood had changed, or was about to change. Rinoa put her arm around Squall's waist and held tightly and Squall put his arms around her shoulder. Rinoa leaned against Squall hoping for comfort and security away from the harsh, cold stares from her friends. She didn't like it, she didn't like it at all.  
  
Quistis closed her eyes for a moment and drifted away. She imagined she was in the Galbadian Hotel with Laguna and Julia. Laguna was looking nervous as Julia turned away from the window.  
  
"You saw me?" he asked.  
  
"You were always smiling while listening, right? You have beautiful eyes. Though they look a bit scared now. Don't worry, I'm not going to pluck them out and eat them. I just want to talk, gazing into those eyes. Would you like a drink? Wine perhaps?"  
  
Quistis felt good inside, it brought her strength and a tingle moved up her spine as she twitched nervously.  
  
"Quistis? Quistis?"  
  
She suddenly opened her eyes.  
  
"What? What's going on?" she asked.  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Squall.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a bit tired, that's all."  
  
"I suppose you want us to leave you alone so you two can go to the dormitory and do you know what," Irvine said.  
  
Squall sighed. Finally, he thought, it's about time.   
  
Squall was about to sweep Rinoa off her feet again when Cid came round rummaging through his papers as he walked. Cid didn't look his normal self, he looked more stressed out than ever. Squall thought this was strange, Cid had always been a cool, composed person, but now, he seemed to be all over the place. Cid dropped some of his papers but didn't bother picking them up. His glasses were on sideways, he fixed them and cleaned them on his jumper, now in tatters.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Squall.  
  
"I've got some bad news,"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's about the Garden. You all remember when you first joined the sacred vow in which you all took, excluding you Rinoa and Irvine, of course."  
  
"Well, yeah," said Squall. "Our duty is to protect, to serve and to defeat the sorceress, right?"  
  
"Exactly, but now you see the sorceress has been defeated and now that NORG is dead there isn't enough financial support or any reason to keep this place open. So I've decided to shut the place down."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know it's going to be hard for all of us and know it's going too have to be an adjustment, but I guess it's the dawning of a new era and we should throw the old guard down in place of something new and more exciting."  
  
"What are we going to do?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Have you consulted it with your wife?" asked Irvine.  
  
"Not exactly," said Headmaster Cid. "I don't think she would understand since we both have different ideas of what a SeeD really is. But I assure you that this is not the end, merely the beginning, the beginning to an even greater adventure. There is just simply no reason for the Garden to stay, it's just wasting space that something better could be put in its place like a giant amusement park. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm afraid that's how life goes some times and you young SeeDs will learn someday how life is like that and how destiny stops, but life doesn't stop. One thing you must take forward is that you must think of this as a positive step forward. Don't think about it as you're leaving the place you grew up in, think about it as a new start, a new start in life. Goodbye everyone and good luck."  
  
Cid then left and went back up to his office leaving everyone stunned, they couldn't believe it.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Zell asked.  
  
"Things just go from bad to worse, don't they?" said Quistis.  
  
Squall and Rinoa looked at each other, worried. They had just got married, they needed security at a time like this, now they were out on their own, where were they to go.  
  
"We could go to Timber for a while," said Rinoa. "I'm sure Zone and Watts will let us stay at their place for a while."  
  
"That's a great idea."  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
They all met at the front gate. It wasn't how they thought it was going to end. After they had defeated the sorceress they expected to go home and live happily ever after but that was not to be.   
  
They all had their bags packed ready to go. They couldn't believe it, it had all happened so fast. They all turned back to each other, not knowing whether to burst out laughing or crying. Quistis moved closer first and gave Squall a hug.  
  
"I'll miss you, Squall, I don't know what I'm going to do without you, without any of you guys. You've kept me sane all these weeks."  
  
"Don't worry," said Squall. "I'm sure that we'll see each other again one day."  
  
They all then hugged while crying, looked back at the Garden, picked up their bags and headed their separate ways. In his office, Cid was looking out of the window at them. He was waving to them, but they never saw him. He then took the special plaque off the table and looked at it again. Edea came in the room to check if he was alright. He wasn't.  
  
Edea tried to hug Cid but he pushed her away and threw the plaque on the ground and started stamping on it in a violent rage. The spiralling halo that was above the Garden then stopped as Balamb Garden emptied out.  
  
Cid liked to go round the empty hallways at night and remember the old place and sometimes he would like to lay in bed and just cry. He looked out of the window and saw Squall, Rinoa, Quistis, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie make their way towards Balamb Town. It was a sad sight. His hopes and dreams for SeeD were over as he saw the boat pull away from the harbour and head towards Galbadia.  
  
He turned back to his wife who smiled.   
  



	2. Perception IS Reality

Timber was as quiet as ever. From their window, Squall and Rinoa could see the TV Station broadcasting the latest news headlines. There was a special commemoration to SeeD at the front of the building for getting the TV Station working again. Squall felt proud at what he had accomplished.  
  
Rinoa came up and stood next to him and looked up to the sky. It was a beautiful day, one of the hottest of the year, the hottest day in autumn - ever. She hugged Squall looking out of the hotel in the room they had borrowed out from Zone. He didn't need it, he was out of town for a few weeks, travelling the world with Watts. Those few days on the white SeeD ship gave him a thirst for travel and experience. Rinoa looked up at Squall, his face gleaming, she liked that look.  
  
Squall looked down at Rinoa, her face was like a flower blooming in June, her eyes filled with happiness, she was an angel descending from heaven, she was his angel. Squall took a deep breath in and felt the cool breeze run through his body.  
  
"God, I thought leaving the Garden would be hard, leaving everything behind, leaving my friends, but it's been easy thanks to you."  
  
"Ah, thank you," Rinoa said. "It's great to see that obsessively attached anymore."  
  
"Only to you,"  
  
"This is going to be the beginning of a long and happy future. I can feel it Squall, I've never felt like this, not with anyone, but I feel it with you and I know it's gonna be something special. I love you Squall,"  
  
"I love you too, Rinoa."  
  
They kissed each other.  
  
The days in Timber were fun and exciting, like a new spring they were young and in love and their days in Timber were filled with mystery and discovery, Squall had never felt so alive.  
  
They took frequent walks around the area meeting all kinds of different people and seeing lots of new things. Sometimes they would walk all day, site seeing and making love and sometimes they would pause and reflect. They would sit on the benches at the train station look at the track leading far ahead into the distance, into the future that gave them a great sense of hope.  
  
Rinoa looked around at all the people moving in all different directions, going to all different places, meeting all different people.  
  
"I wonder how these people will all end up?"  
  
Squall, a little bemused, replied: "Sorry?"  
  
"All these people going in all these different ways I mean the adventures, they would take a lifetime to tell. I wonder what all these people are going to do and what lies up ahead for them in the future."  
  
Squall laughed. "It's probably best if you don't think about things like that. I used to do it and it wasn't much fun, it just got you depressed. If it weren't for you I'd probably still be like that so I don't think you should start."  
  
"No, no, it was just a thought, I guess I got it from you."  
  
"Yeah, that'd most likely be it."  
  
"I was just wondering what lies ahead for us in the future or whether we have a future, maybe this whole thing just goes round in one big circle ending up where it started."  
  
"You mean life?"  
  
"Yeah, and I know it's dangerous thinking too much but ever since we got married I've just been worried about these things. You never know, something may happen and we may never see each other again and I want to be with you forever."  
  
"And I do too, darling."  
  
"I'm sorry for asking a stupid question," said Rinoa lowering her head in embarrassment.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It seems that everything in our life has been destined to happed: the graduation ball, the Timber mission, the orphanage, me becoming a sorceress, us getting married. It seems to be one long chain being controlled be someone."  
  
"Now you're being paranoid,"  
  
"I believe that destiny has got us this far and will take us further into the future, but what happens if it stops."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"What happens when destiny itself stops and everything is left on its own or if it comes back on itself, what'll happen then?"  
  
Squall laughed again. He then put his arms around her neck and her pulled her closer towards her tenderly rubbing her back.  
  
"It'll be okay," he said. "Nothing's gonna happen. We're going to stay here and live happily ever after and all these people are going to do the same. Ultimecia is dead, we don't have to worry about things like that anymore, our adventure is over, but our journey is just beginning."  
  
"Those are pretty wise words Squall, did you think about those for long?"  
  
"No," Squall said. "They came from the heart, where the future lies."  
  
"Well, that's put my mind at rest for now,"  
  
"It'll be okay, honey, it'll be okay."  
  
"I hope that counts for the rest of the gang: Quistis, Selphie, Irvine and Zell as well."  
  
"I'm sure it does, I'm sure they're fine."  
  
Rinoa laid her head on Squall's shoulder and they stayed there until sunset. It was almost nightfall before they decided to go back to their house. Rinoa fell asleep in Squall's arms as they slept a very peaceful sleep with pleasant dreams.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Galbadia was its usual self and Irvine tipped his hat to every pretty girl that walked down street. Selphie made residence in Galbadia now as well although they lived quite far apart but still tried to visit each other as often as possible to reminisce on old times and to stop themselves from going insane.  
  
Life after Balamb Garden was hard, much harder than they had ever imagined, not even travelling around the world trying to defeat an evil sorceress from taking over the world was a shard as this. This was boredom.  
  
Bright lights, star-studded parades, fireworks, the glitz, the glamour it was all her in Galbadia, but it was not always this way. To Squall and Rinoa it had been a heaven, the place where they spent their honeymoon and spent many a happy day spending time together and having fun. But to Irvine and Selphie, they saw it for what it was: a dirty, disgusting place that was plagued with bitterness and disappointment, shattered dreams and disillusionment. This was a dressed up version of hell.   
  
The nights were long and lonely. Selphie often stayed awake until the early hours of the morning watching the stars wishing she could be one of them. Irvine sat hour after hour looking at his guns, he felt a sense of guilt build up inside him. He had to go and see if Selphie was okay, he couldn't just stand by and watch her be miserable. He went round to her place often when times got really bad.  
  
"This is stupid," said Irvine. "You can't say your life's over, you're only 17, you've got ya whole life ahead of you. Geez, what's come over you Selphie?"  
  
"I just wanna go on an exciting adventure again."  
  
"You can't have everything you want all the time, ya know. Sometimes you have to be patient."  
  
"I miss everyone, I miss the Garden, I miss my home."  
  
"You survived when Trabia got destroyed, right?"  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"Well, you can survive again, right?"  
  
"S'pose so,"  
  
"Of course you can. Now let's have no more of your crying Miss."  
  
"Okay,"  
  
Selphie went to sleep and Irvine felt some reassurance inside of him that things were going to be okay. Outside, another full moon.  
  
Irvine watched over Selphie as she slept, an inner warmth ran through his body, he could feel it run up through his heart. The closing of the Garden had taken its toll on everyone and now everyone had to readjust and start new lives, different lives, not ones full of adventure, but a normal everyday life, quiet even. Irvine watched the second hand on the clock tick away as he slowly drifted off to sleep.  
  
It made him feel secure watching over her like her protector. He wanted more out of life too. He felt a part of Selphie in him, he wanted a part of Selphie in him.   
  
He wondered if she felt the same.  
  
I love you Selphie, he thought.  
  
He said it out aloud but it was too quiet for Selphie to hear. All that could be heard then was the wind.   
  
  
  
Irvine woke up as the cool breeze ran through his long, brown hair. He looked around, confused. He must have fallen asleep after all. He looked over at the bed opposite him, it was empty, Selphie was gone.  
  
He turned around and gazed out of the window for a moment, the streets were crowded and there was no sign of Selphie. Where could she be, he thought.  
  
Irvine got up and went looking for her. He was a bit concerned, she hadn't been at her most happiest recently and things hadn't been going too well so he was concerned that she might have done something stupid. The look of concern grew on his face after each passing second. The streets were getting more and more crowded, Irvine was beginning to lose hope. Why didn't I tell her sooner, he thought.  
  
Irvine sat down at a table in the restaurant on the floor below the Inn. He put his head and his hands and ran them through his hair. He stared at menu for several minutes not wanting what to order, how anything could cheer him up. Irvine then took his hands away from his face and looked up and noticed a young woman in a yellow dress sitting beside him. Irvine was shocked.  
  
"I thought I'd find you here," Selphie said.  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
"I've just been having a look around, it's a more interesting city than you think. I've been on a tour round the palace."  
  
"I've been worried sick about you, I thought you might have been kidnapped or something, or dead."  
  
Selphie was more than a little surprised that Irvine had thought this. "Well no, not this time anyway, but thanks for worrying about me, it's made me feel a lot better."  
  
"Geez, you're in a better mood today. I thought you was going to hang yourself or something yesterday."  
  
Selphie laughed. "Yesterday was ages ago, now comes a new day, a new start. Who cares what happens yesterday? It's in the past."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Today's a new day and we're going to make the most of it, aren't we?"  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
They smiled to each other. Irvine knew that she felt the same.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Quistis was in Winhill. Why she was in Winhill she had no idea but it seemed to be okay, nice and quiet anyway. She remembered the place from the dreams. She could imagine Laguna and Kiros going around patrolling the area but it wasn't like it was then. The monsters had all been vaporized since Ultimecia had been defeated and there was no one that she had anything in common with, there was no one to talk to.  
  
Xu came and left and soon she found herself on her own again. The small village offered her nothing, nothing that she wanted. Her friends had all gone off to different places, Quistis had gotten herself into a right state and didn't want all her friends to see her like this. She cried herself to sleep most nights thinking about the others and thinking what might have been if only things had been different and Rinoa hadn't shown up at the graduation ball.  
  
She wondered what would happen to everyone now that the Garden was closed, especially Cid. She felt so bad for him losing his home and everything he had worked so hard for. But SeeD was over and she was just going to have to accept that she was just a normal person now and wasn't responsible for saving the world, only responsible for herself. She missed Squall a lot.   
  
Winhill was quiet which was nice at first, a nice change, but it soon got tedious and boring and Quistis wanted out. She wanted to see Squall and Rinoa again, get back her Save the Queen and go on another adventure. There was nothing there for her in Winhill and with Zell living with his mother in Balamb and Irvine and Selphie in Galbadia, and Xu, Squall and Rinoa in Timber, there was absolutely nothing left for her. She wondered if her life would ever be the same again.  
  
She got up one day and thought to herself as she often did ad thought about leaving town. It would be an excellent idea, there wouldn't be any point in staying in Winhill. She had to go so Quistis collected her things and set out for Timber. There was one problem though: the trains had broken down and Quistis looked up at the long stretching road heading towards Timber and sighed. I guess this is the only way, she thought.  
  
She was getting weary and the sun was beating down hard, she couldn't take much more of this but couldn't slow down either. She felt like she was sleepwalking, losing her coordination and going off in all sorts of different directions. She kept slipping off the road. Sometimes there would be a battle, but most of the monsters were now gone. The battles were long and hard, she hardly had the strength left to go on anymore, but she felt she had to.  
  
Her pride took over and she passed out.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Zell was having a slightly better time in Balamb. He and his Ma were back under the same roof cooking their famous fish stew. Zell hung up his fighting gloves, he was glad to take them off, they were giving him an itch. Ha, that wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be, he thought. This is easy, I don't need those gloves at all.  
  
He stared at his punching bag and thought about giving it a huge whack. He ran up but at the last moment decided to pull back. Better not, he thought.   
  
"Zell, dinner's ready," shouted Ma Dincht from downstairs.   
  
"Coming Ma," Zell said.  
  
Dinner was its usual best and life was looking pretty up. Zell didn't need to be like Squall, he didn't need the others either. He had Ma's home cooking and he was happy with himself. That's all he needed, he didn't need anything. Except maybe, no it doesn't matter, he thought. I'm happy enough at the moment and I don't want anything else to ruin that.  
  
Life was perfect but he soon found the sunny days turning to rain. Ma's cooking was the best and his life was perfect in Balamb but something was missing, something that he didn't have before.  
  
Zell would often dream of past days when would hang out with Squall and they were best buddies. Dream of days when he would just eat hot dog after endless hotdog. But those days were over and he had to move on. He couldn't dwell on the past anymore.  
  
"The past?" said Ma Dincht, a little confused. "Is that it? Is that what you've been missing?"  
  
"Yeah," Zell replied. "It's nothing, but it's sorry to see it go."  
  
"Ah, come here, my boy."  
  
Ma Dincht gave Zell a hug and smiled.  
  
"You do whatever you think is right, Zell," she said.  
  
"Thanks,"  
  
Zell thought about it long and hard but realised that even though he had a perfect life in Balamb he wasn't living the kind of life he wanted, he never truly felt alive unless he was fighting with his friends and a life without living is not living at all.  
  
Zell decided it was time to move on and find Squall and the others. He thought his first stop would be Galbadia, they were sure to stop there.  
  
Zell took the cross-continental train to Galbadia, but soon found it stopping. The trains had all broken down and Zell was left in the middle of nowhere.  
  
He looked around, nothing but desert. It was a long, hard road up ahead.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
The Esthar skies looked a little greyer than usual. Something must have been up, it was never normally like this at this time of year. This was Esthar's hot season and they hadn't met a cloudy day in over 75 years.   
  
Laguna looked out of the window in the Presidential Palace and saw what was going on. The clouds were now circling around and a great storm was gathering. Laguna could feel a cold chill run up his spine. It made him shudder.  
  
Laguna went outside to get a closer look. It looked odd, it looked out of place. There was a purple spiral in the sky going around and around. It was hypnotic, Laguna couldn't take his eyes off it, he'd never seen anything like it in all his years of travel.   
  
It seemed to move closer towards him. He backed away holding his hands in front of his face to protect himself. Kiros and Ward watched him from afar. They had no idea what was going on. The grey clouds turned black and a huge bolt of lightning struck the Presidential Palace.   
  
All he could do was scream.   
  



	3. Like the sound of bowel moments at times...

The purple spiral was barely visible from Timber. The people there were blind to the incident occurring in Esthar and they were living in blissful ignorance, as was Squall and Rinoa.   
  
Married for just a little over a week now and the romance hadn't died down for a moment. Squall took Rinoa to fancy restaurants, where they served wine and great food. He would take her back to their house and smother her with kisses. Squall's mind was free and at ease and Rinoa hoped it would stay that way.  
  
Timber was the perfect place for them, not the bright lights of Galbadia nor the grandness of Esthar, nor the quiet tediousness of Winhill, but just right. It fitted them beautifully and it was Rinoa's hometown, they were now like celebrities there. Everyone knew who they were since they destroyed Ultimecia. Zone made sure to tell every living soul about it. Now, it seemed they weren't getting any peace at all, but they weren't complaining.  
  
Xu was often in the neighbourhood and would come round and visit, she was thrilled that Squall had made something of himself and hoped that Quistis would do the same. She didn't receive the same adulation as Squall and Rinoa, not many people knew her, but she liked it better that way. She was just happy to be starting a new life with some of her friends in Timber. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but worry about Quistis. What would happen to her?   
  
Squall and Rinoa sat on their bed gazing into each others' eyes. They were content to just sit there and do nothing else until Squall lowered his head and thought for a moment. He looked at his gunblade hanging up on the wall, it had been through so many wars, but it still hadn't lost its shine.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" he asked.  
  
"Love each other and live happily ever after."  
  
"I mean, job wise. Neither of us have a job and we can't retire for the rest of our lives. We're only 17, how are we going to be able to afford to live happily ever after."  
  
Rinoa laughed. "Oh, Squall, you're so narrow-minded," she said. "I thought I taught you better than that. Squall, you can't spend your whole life thinking, otherwise you'll have no time for living and sometimes you've just gotta go on instinct without thinking things through. Life's more exciting that way."  
  
"S'pose so," said Squall. "I guess you're right, I guess you're always right."  
  
"Now you're catching on."  
  
Rinoa moved herself and sat on Squall's lap. Squall slid his arms around her waist as Rinoa put her arms around his neck. She laid her head down against his chest.  
  
"See," Rinoa said. "This is much better, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah, it sure is,"  
  
"Thinking not good, this is good."  
  
"I'm sorry, Rinoa, it'll never happen again."  
  
Squall moved his head down and kissed Rinoa while gently caressing her long soft hair with his hands. He shut his eyes and was in a dream world, except it wasn't a dream world, it was reality.   
  
Rinoa's eyes suddenly jerked open. She threw herself off out of Squall's tender grip and onto the floor. Squall stared at her, befuddled.  
  
"Rinoa, what's wrong?"  
  
Rinoa didn't answer. She stood up and started swaying from side to side very slowly. She put her hand to her head, she felt tired and faint. Squall got up and rushed to her side taking her by the arms and leading her towards the bed. Rinoa pushed him away and she started to concentrate harder.  
  
"Rinoa, what's happening?"  
  
There was a gush of wind coming in from the window and then suddenly to Squall's amazement, Squall's gunblade came off the wall, flew across the room and impaled itself on the wall opposite. Squall was still sitting with his arms over his head for protection. He then looked back at Rinoa.  
  
She stood perfectly still for a few moments. The whole world seemed to stand still. Squall was paralysed, he couldn't get any closer to Rinoa. She outstretched her arms and took a deep breath and before Squall could react in time, Rinoa fainted to the floor.  
  
Squall looked at her, unconscious on the floor, incredulous to what had just happened. He then quickly rushed to Rinoa's side. He lifted her head up gently off the floor and cradled it in his arms. Tears were flowing down his face, it was the time he had cried since he was a child looking for his sister.  
  
He stroked her hair, just as he had done a few moments earlier, but it didn't feel the same. Her face was cold, Squall remembered this feeling, it ate away inside of him. He remembered Rinoa lying unconscious in the Infirmary just a few weeks earlier. He was alone then and he felt as if he was alone now. He checked her pulse, she was still alive. That was one relief.  
  
Squall slid his hand down Rinoa's back, placed an arm underneath her legs and lifted her up slowly, turning and placing her gently on the bed. He sat beside, holding her hand and waited for her to wake up.  
  
It was the next day when she finally woke. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked around, confused. She saw Squall, a huge relief. She raised her head, a throbbing pain echoed around her skull like a bolt of lightening. She laid her head back down again, the pain was eased somewhat.  
  
"What happened?" she asked.  
  
"I was hoping you could tell me that,"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Squall moved over to the cracked wall where the gunblade had landed. He put his hands on the handle and pulled as hard as he could and managed to get the gunblade out. He held it in his hands, it was warm.  
  
"This," Squall said.  
  
"What about that?" said Rinoa, confused.  
  
"You made this move across the room. You must have used your sorceress powers or something."  
  
"But I never use them, you know that," she paused for a moment thinking of what would happen if anyone was to find out about this. "Please, don't tell anyone, Squall. If they find me out they'll send me back to the Sorceress Memorial. Please say that you won't tell anyone, Squall."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't. I was just concerned, that's all. It was freaky, you just passed out and I didn't know whether you were going to die or not, you've been out all night."  
  
"I don't remember anything, nothing at all. The last thing I remember I was sitting on your lap kissing you and then I woke up here. I assumed I fell asleep in yours arms."  
  
"You just went insane. I've never seen you like that before, you just lost it, what do you think it is?"  
  
"I don't know, but whatever it is, I don't want it happening again."  
  
"Don't worry, Rinoa, you're safe here. You should get some rest now."  
  
Squall propped a pillow up for her and she laid her head down on it, shut her eyes and peacefully drifted off to sleep. Squall looked at her and smiled, if only to hide his concern.   
  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Galbadia was just a few miles away but it seemed like an eternity. The train tracks leading underground seemed like a black hole and with every step she sinking further and further into the abyss.  
  
Quistis didn't know whether she would be able to make it up the hill, it seemed too much. She wished she had caught the train but it was far too late for regret. Then, suddenly, a loud noise caught her attention. She turned to see what it was; a red sports car pulling up fast beside her, it stopped, she was shocked.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"You look pretty tired," the young man in the car said. "I thought you might need a ride."  
  
"Thanks,"  
  
Zell opened the door for her and she got in. They then headed straight into Galbadia, stopping just outside General Caraway's mansion, taking a brief glance round at all the wondrous spectacles that Squall and Rinoa had talked so much about on their honeymoon and went looking through the main residential area in hopes of finding them. But there was something on Quistis' mind that she couldn't help but wonder.  
  
"What are you doing here, Zell?"  
  
Zell shrugged his shoulders a little. "I guess I wanted a bit more out of life than my Ma's home cooking. I thought that'd be enough, but obviously I was wrong."  
  
"But how did you know I was here?"  
  
"I didn't. I was coming this way anyway since I thought that Squall and Rinoa would be here. So I caught the train and then rented a car from Dollet."  
  
Quistis smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead and groaned in annoyance. "Ugghh, I wish I'd thought of that,"  
  
Zell was silent for a moment. He thought about the situation and said: "You mean to tell me that you walked from wherever you were to here. Where did you walk from?"  
  
"Winhill," she replied.  
  
"Winhill?" Zell said, flabbergasted. "You walked all the way from Winhill? Are you insane?"  
  
"Obviously I am, but I was just really desperate to see Squall and Rinoa again. It's no fun without them."  
  
"You must have been really desperate."  
  
"What are you talking about? You've done the same thing."  
  
"Oh yeah,"   
  
They walked round for hours but couldn't find Squall and Rinoa anywhere. They stopped by at General Caraway's mansion to ask him where they were.  
  
"They said they were going up to Timber," he said in a sombre tone.  
  
"Timber?"  
  
"Yep, second honeymoon, I think. Anyway, Rinoa's used to living up there. I can hardly expect her to come home to me after all this, I mean she is old enough now to make her own decisions. I'll be sorry to see her go, but I guess she's not daddy's little girl anymore." He sighed. "Oh well, life goes on."  
  
"How are we going to get to Timber?" Quistis asked. "We don't have any money."  
  
"Well, that's never stopped you walking before," said Zell, laughing under his breath.  
  
"Shut up, you, or I'll have the disciplinary committee put you on suspension. Then you'll lose your honour of being a SeeD."  
  
Zell laughed hysterically. "You wish, Quistis," he said. "There is no Garden anymore, there is no disciplinary committee, there is no SeeD, and there definitely is no honour anymore, Quistis. It all went away when Cid closed the Garden."  
  
Quistis fell silent and stared at the floor. General Caraway didn't say anything either, not wanting to make the situation worse.  
  
Not another word was spoken for the rest of the day.  
  
  
  
They met up by the car rental building the next morning. It was another beautiful day, almost too beautiful for autumn. Quistis gave a huge yawn as she leaned against the wall waiting for the car to come.  
  
"Tired?" Zell asked.  
  
"Yeah, didn't get much sleep, too much to think about."  
  
Zell paused. "Was it about what I said?"  
  
"You damn right," she said quietly, trying to contain her anger.  
  
"I'm really sorry about that, but it's true, isn't it? There is no Garden anymore and you are no longer an instructor or a SeeD and have no authority over me or anyone else so I don't have to take your crap anymore. It serves you right for being so bossy all the time."  
  
"But I don't mean to be," she said holding her head in her heads trying to prevent Zell from seeing that she was crying. "I'm a good person, I really am, it's just sometimes I have a tendency to get a bit stroppy, then adjatated and then moody and then aggressive and then who knows what."  
  
"Sometimes?" said Zell. "You seem to do it a bit more than sometimes."  
  
"I try, I really do. Please don't judge me too harshly, I just want something more than this and always have done. Whether it was to be the best instructor ever or to be Rinoa being rescued by Squall, I just want more than this. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess. I guess I'm kinda the same in that way."  
  
Quistis smiled. "Good, I'm glad you understand."  
  
Something else caught their attention. It was too people running towards them, one considerable taller than the other. As they got closer they could see their faces better. It was definitely a small world, they thought. It was Irvine and Selphie, huge smiles on their faces and big hugs to greet them. Selphie went a little insane as she jumped all over Zell.  
  
"God, I've missed you guys so much," she said. "Where have you been? It's been way too long. We saw a couple of people up the end of the street and thought that it must be you, you stick out like a Moomba in a Chocobo Forest. God, I've missed you guys, even you, Zell."  
  
"And I've missed you too," said Zell.  
  
"Where are you headed now?" asked Irvine.  
  
"We're going to Timber to find Squall and Rinoa," Quistis said.  
  
"That's a good idea," said Irvine. "After all, there's no point staying here, it's absolute hell."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I don't know what part Squall and Rinoa went to, but it's been absolutely atrocious here. It's like hell, only with florescent lighting and candy floss. If it weren't for Selphie being here, I think I would have gone insane."  
  
"Yeah, we've been keeping each other company."  
  
Quistis and Zell looked at each other and smiled obviously knowing what they meant. Selphie spotted them and stared at them angrily.  
  
"No, it's nothing like that, thank you very much," she said sternly. "Irvine and I just happened to be really good friends that's all and if you can't understand that then that's your problem."  
  
"Right," said Zell and Quistis in a hyperbolic tone. "Just as we thought."   
  
"Anyway, we'd love to come with you and find Squall again. We can catch up on old times and reminisce. It'll be like that movie, I don't remember the title, but where all these people meet up in their thirties and hadn't seen each other in like fifteen years, since they left school in fact and they go and bring back the old days by rioting just as did when they were punk kids."  
  
"That sounds like fun," said Selphie. "What happened to them? Did their lives end up fulfilled after living out their childhood dream and spending all their time with the people they loved."  
  
Irvine paused. "No, towards the end, they all went insane and started killing each other. Only one made it out alive, but not even he made it to the end of the film. Loneliness got him."  
  
The others fell silent. "Oh well, it's not like that's ever going to happen to us."  
  
They all laugh.  
  
"Let's go then," said Quistis, "Let's go and find Squall and Rinoa."  
  
"Are you the leader then?" Zell asked.  
  
"You damn right I'm the leader," Quistis said.  
  
"Okay, just checking."  
  
They then got in the rental car and headed off to Timber.  
  
It was a long trip.  
  
  
  
Cid took one more look back as he closed the front gate on the Garden. He stood their with his wife, Edea by his side and they looked at their creation, their hope for the future, crumble to the ground and being cast aside like dust being blown by a strong gale through the night air.  
  
Cid got down on his knees and prayed to the Great Hyne that their would be a new hope, something new in their lives that they could build and work together to once again make the world a more peaceful place. They needed a new field to plough, but they all were full with half grown weeds sticking out and plaguing the land. Cid and Edea had to find a new home so they decided to go back to the place where it all began, in the old orphanage in Cetra.   
  
Cid took the key out after locking the gate and threw it away, he didn't want anything to do with it. He was sick of looking at the Garden and never wanted to see it again, it brought back too many happy memories that made him cry. He didn't want his wife to see.  
  
"Come on, darling," he said. "Let's go home."  
  
"Yeah, okay, I think we all need a fresh start in life. SeeD was just the beginning, the beginning of a whole new future, for all of us."  
  
"It sure is."  
  
They went along merrily to Cetra. Not once did Cid or Edea think about the Garden. They didn't regret their decision to close for a moment, they were glad to get rid of it, for it was a burden.  
  
They looked at their new home, the old, abandoned orphanage on the east coast of Cetra with the lighthouse just behind.  
  
"Welcome home, Edea,"  
  
"Welcome home, Cid,"  
  
They brought their belongings inside, not that had many belongings, most were left at the Garden along with all the other memories. That was in the past and they didn't want to affiliate themselves with the past so all they had was a small bag with some food and clothes, just enough to get by. The only thing from the Garden that Cid did bring with him was the special plaque that read: 'We SeeDs must stand proud and tall for it is our duty to kill the Sorceress and protect the world from danger'. He rubbed it with his hand; it still hadn't lost its shine.  
  
"What did you bring that old thing in for?" Edea asked looking curiously at her husband holding the plaque in his hands.  
  
"I don't know," he replied. "I just thought it would be nice, you know, as a little reminder."  
  
"But you said that you hated the Garden and you hated that plaque."  
  
"Yeah, but it's just something that I like to hold. I just want something to hold on to, something from the past that can give me hope for the future, which I don't see a lot of nowadays. I know I said I hated it, but I was just enraged with everything, everything was just getting too much for me to handle and I wanted everything to stop and slow down. So I brought this plaque with me to remind us that we can perform miracles and we can do it again."  
  
"Oh well, but don't get too emotional over it, okay. Remember that there is no Garden anymore."  
  
"Yes, I know there's no Garden anymore." He looked around the orphanage and saw the decaying building practically lying waste. It was old and dull. The white walls were slowly turning grey and with winter only a few months away they were sure to turn black. Cid put his head in his hands and sobbed: "Yes, darling, I know there's no Garden anymore."  
  
Cid laid his head back on one of the beds and fell to sleep. His wife spent the night watching the stars in the lighthouse, hoping for so much more.   
  
  
  
Esthar was growing cold, much colder than usual. The clear blue roads were covered in a thin layer of ice and the transportation pipes had got blocked up. All hell was breaking loose and people were angry, people were angry with Laguna.   
  
He tried his best to calm the people down but they wanted an explanation and they wanted it now. Kiros, Ward, and Ellone could do nothing to help him because they had no idea what the problem was. Laguna get begging for them to help him, but they thought that he was crazy.  
  
"Please, guys," he said. "You've gotta help me, after everything I've done for you. Ellone, I saved you from all those experiments; Kiros, Ward, I saved your lives back at the Cetra Excavation site."  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember that," said Kiros.  
  
Ward nodded his head.  
  
"Well, all these people are after me and something's seriously wrong with Esthar. There's this huge purple thing in the sky and I think it's trying to destroy Esthar. Ever since it came, bad things have been happening and it uses these natural conditions as its arsenal so that no one will suspect it."  
  
"Man, you've had way too much caffeine," Kiros said.  
  
"I'm not lying. You believe m, don't you, Ellone?"  
  
Ellone paused for a moment. "Well, kind of, but there's no purple thing in the sky. The sky is as clear as it always is except it's a little colder than usual. Things will clear up in a few days and then it'll by sunny again. That's the way the world works."  
  
"I'm serious here, can no one else see it?"  
  
"See what?"  
  
Laguna pointed to the sky that the huge purple spiral filled. It was expanding all the time. It was almost a mile long already and growing everyday. Laguna turned back to the others who all looked bemused.  
  
"That, see that, the huge purple thing in the sky that keeps expanding. I think that's what's causing the cold and you've gotta help me get rid of these people who keep bugging me and help me get rid of that thing."  
  
"You're the president, Laguna," Kiros said. "Why don't you deal with it?"  
  
Laguna sighed. "Fine,"  
  
Laguna turned away and headed outside. There wasn't the panic he was expecting, more anger because he had closed off all the roads and pipes for no reason. Everyone was really pissed at him. Some had banners and signs outside the window protesting trying to bring him down. They were fed up of Laguna controlling Esthar like a dictator and closing off the city whenever he felt like it.  
  
Laguna managed to escape them and sat down to have a think of a solution. He saw the purple spiral in the sky, it seemed to have eyes.  
  
Ellone looked past the protestors looking for Laguna, she was worried that he was going to do something stupid. He had locked her inside the palace because he thought it was unsafe for her out on the streets. She looked out of the window and saw the sky as blue as long roads criss-crossing Esthar and the sun beating down its glorious warmth.  
  
  
  
They arrived in Timber. Quistis, Zell, Irvine, and Selphie got out of the car and headed out to where they thought Squall and Rinoa might be.  
  
"They shouldn't be too hard to find," said Zell. "They're like celebrities over here."  
  
"I heard Xu's here as well," Quistis said. "If you see her, tell me, okay?"  
  
"Why don't we check out Zone and Watts' house," Selphie said. "They're almost certainly going to be there."   
  
"Great idea, Sefie," said Irvine. "Let's go."  
  
They all headed off to Zone's house together. When they got there the house was quiet, they Selphie thought that nobody was in. She rang the doorbell twice anyway. Rinoa then opened the front door and to her surprise it was the old gang, she couldn't believe it.  
  
"Squall, Squall,"  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's the old gang again,"  
  
Squall rushed to the front door. "What are you guys doing here?"  
  
"We missed you," said Quistis. "It's been lonely and no fun. We wanted to see you one more time and start a new life."  
  
"That's great," said Squall. "Rinoa and I have started a new life as well and we're very happy."  
  
"Very, very happy," Rinoa said.  
  
Quistis looked down at the floor. "Oh, well, I guess it wasn't meant to be."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing,"  
  
"C'mon, welcome back guys."  
  
They all hugged each other with huge smiles on their faces and Squall and Rinoa invited them in.   
  
"I can't believe it," said Squall. "So what have you been doing without me?"  
  
They all hesitated to answer. "Um, not much," Zell said. "Just wandering around, usual stuff."  
  
"Yeah," Selphie said. "Galbadia's so boring."  
  
"I'll second that opinion," said Irvine sticking his hand in the air.  
  
"Boring?" said Squall. "It's one of the most beautiful places in the world. There's nothing boring about Galbadia, isn't that right, Rinoa?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Rinoa?"  
  
Squall looked across and saw Rinoa standing as if she had been hypnotised again. She then outspread her arms and she lifted several inches off the ground where she stayed and floated.   
  
"What's happening?" asked Quistis.  
  
"This is bad," said Squall. "This is really bad."  
  
Squall and Rinoa's wedding photo, sitting happily on the mantle piece suddenly flew across the room and smashed against the opposing wall. The air became thicker and denser, Squall was finding it hard to breathe. He tried to get to Rinoa, but something was holding him back. A gush of wind, furniture flying about all over the place. Then it all went silent as Rinoa fell to the ground.  
  
Luckily nobody was hurt seriously but they all stared at Rinoa lying on the ground unconscious and wondered what the hell just happened.  
  



	4. fearhoperegretdesire

Quistis lay slumped on the sofa half asleep staring down at the floor, slowly breathing in and out and moving her hand along the floor trying to find her glass of vodka. Her hand reached it, but spilt it, the new carpet ruined. Quistis rubbed her eyes and sat up as Squall came in to the room. He was probably going to be furious.  
  
Squall looked down at the stain on the carpet, he had a grim look on his face, he sat down next to Quistis and held his head in his hands.  
  
"Rinoa's not looking good. She's turned really pale and cold. I don't know what to do, I don't know what's happening."  
  
Quistis managed to compose herself and said: "It's okay, Squall. She'll be alright. Things like this happen, they've happened before and they'll happen again, there's nothing you can do about it, your helpless, I'm helpless, we're all helpless inside this huge machine, this huge machine that is dying slowly."  
  
Squall didn't say anything for a few moments. He thought about what she had said. On one hand, she was right, there was nothing he could do, but on the other she was being a cold hearted insensitive bitch who only wanted to get back at him because he chose Rinoa instead of her. He looked into her eyes but couldn't see the Quistis he used to know, she wasn't there anymore, she was still in Balamb Garden along with the rest of the SeeDs. Her eyes seemed empty, there was nothing in her voice, it was if her soul had fluttered out of her body when she left the Garden and now she had nothing left. Squall looked back at the stain on the carpet, he reassessed the situation.  
  
"Well, I'm not helpless anymore because I'm not alone anymore, I have all my friends and I have a desire to live now, one that I never had before. I now live without regret, without fear, without self-doubt, helplessness, and anxiety, but with hope, a hope for a better future. That's my dream and I'm going to stick with it right to the end. You should understand, Quistis, you've been in a similar situation yourself."  
  
"Yeah, right, keep dreaming, pal because this is real life and life sucks. Zell's taught me a lot over the past few days."  
  
"Zell? Why are you taking him so seriously?"  
  
"He is a very wise man, Squall, a very wise man. You should learn from him Squall, not two dollar sluts like Rinoa who think they're such smart-asses. She doesn't know what life really is, she's living in a fantasy and she's brainwashing you Squall, you need to get back to reality and you need to get back to it now. I'm as sorry and as surprised as you were to see what happened to Rinoa last night, but that doesn't stop her from being a manipulative bitch."  
  
"That's way too harsh, Quistis, that's way too harsh. I'm a free man now."  
  
"A free man? There's no such thing. You're all there thinking your life is so great when really it's a load of shit. If this is your fantasy, then count me out, but let me warn you that it will be your final fantasy."  
  
"I can't believe you, Quistis, I thought you were my friend, I thought that I could confide in you, but I guess I was wrong."  
  
"You can confide in me, Squall, now give me a kiss sweetheart."  
  
She drew her mouth closer to his and closed her eyes. Squall smelt her breath, she had clearly had too much to drink. Her mouth got closer and closer with each passing moment. He had been thinking about this for years and now that moment had finally arrived he didn't want any part of it. Squall moved out of the way and looked back at Quistis. She had hit her head on the other end of the sofa and was half unconscious.   
  
She was murmuring something under her breath but Squall couldn't hear it and he left the room without looking back again.  
  
  
  
Squall went up to his room, Rinoa still lying cold on the bed. Irvine and Selphie were sitting around her, they had grim expressions on their faces and Squall feared the worse.  
  
"How she doing?" he asked.  
  
"She's getting worse," said Irvine. "She was murmuring something a few hours ago but now, nothing."  
  
"I dunno if she's ever gonna wake up," Selphie said, a tear in her eye as she spoke. "Squall, this has all gone wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong!"  
  
"Yeah, I know," Squall said. "It's not supposed to be like this. Damn, it's all my fault."  
  
"It's not your fault, Squall," said Irvine. "There was nothing you could do, she just reacted to something. The best thing you could do for her and to everyone else is to stay calm and try and figure out what caused this."  
  
"That's easy for you to say, you're not stuck in the middle of this situation, that's not your wife lying there. You can talk all you want, but you don't know what it's actually like."  
  
Irvine replied: "If it was my wife, or any of my friends, Selphie for instance, I'd try to do the best for them, I wouldn't just hang around like you. You've been through this before and you took the initiative of taking her to see Ellone so why not now? What's changed so drastically that you don't want to save Rinoa? It makes you a bit of a goddamn hypocrite actually and so sick of your whining and complaining, you stupid bastard."  
  
"Hey, at least I've acknowledged my faults and accepted them for what they are, but you, you're the hypocrite, hiding behind this macho man image. That goes for you too, Selphie. Every time, you knock me for the way I am, just because I'm a little introverted, shy or just a down right unlikeable sonofabitch, but I never go up to you and knock you for all it. We all may be a little confused and lost after the Garden closed, but who made the most of it and who came running back for help? Don't you sit there and think you're interested in talking to me about my problems because you all know that if I weren't leader you wouldn't so do that, you're just trying to suck up to me and doing a lousy job at it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta take care of my wife."  
  
Irvine and Selphie were stunned as they saw Squall walk across the room in a furious rage, pick Rinoa up aggressively and carry her out of the room.  
  
Irvine suddenly composed himself and said: "What the hell are you doing? Where are you taking Rinoa?"  
  
"Where she can sleep easily and not have people like you making her life hell."  
  
"You can't just take her away like that, she's sick, she shouldn't be moved."  
  
"That's never stopped me before," said Squall looking down at Rinoa. "Come on, Rinoa, we're going home."  
  
"Where?" screamed Selphie.  
  
"Somewhere away from you people. Somewhere I can get away from that slut, Quistis, you two jackass' and that other one."  
  
"Zell?"  
  
"Yeah, that's him," said Squall. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got places to be."  
  
He left the room. Irvine and Selphie didn't try and stop him but all the time they had in the back of their minds that this was a grave mistake. They just couldn't figure out what made Squall snap like that.  
  
"I'm going after him," said Selphie getting to her feet.  
  
"No, don't bother," said Irvine. "He's not gonna listen to you, he's obviously in his self-important, obnoxious mood again, except it seems to be worse than last time. He seems to be possessive as well. There's no point talking to him, better let him cool off for a while."  
  
"But he might hurt Rinoa."  
  
"No, I don't think even Squall would do that deliberately. Squall and Rinoa'll be okay soon, you'll see, and then everything will be back to normal."  
  
"I hope you're right, Irvy," said Selphie. "I hope you're right."  
  
"It's okay, Selphie, we'll be alright, no matter what happens, we'll always remain the best of friends because we're stronger than Squall."  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
Irvine leaned over and gave Selphie a hug and squeezed tightly only wishing in the back of his mind that it could be more.  
  
As Squall carried Rinoa out of the house, he looked back and saw Quistis asleep on the sofa. He smiled. Maybe she was right after all, he thought as walked out.  
  
  
  
It was midnight and Squall still wasn't back. Quistis was worried that he may have left forever. She was sitting round a table with Irvine, Selphie and Zell.  
  
"What's gone wrong?" Quistis asked. There were blank looks on everyone's faces. They knew something was up but they didn't want to bring up what they thought from fear of what the others may think.   
  
"What are we doing here?" asked Zell after a long silence.  
  
"We came here to see Squall and Rinoa," Quistis replied.  
  
"Yes, well that seems to have gone according to plan since Squall isn't here and Rinoa's in a coma."  
  
"I'm really worried for her, I hope Squall hasn't done anything stupid."  
  
"Stupid?" Zell said. "Squall? When was the last time Squall did anything stupid?"   
  
A long pause. "I'm being sarcastic, by the way. If it weren't for us then Squall wouldn't have been able to do anything, he's not capable of doing anything on his own even though that's what he says he can do. He's obviously just a hypocrite, a liar, and a definite stupid SOB. How can he even think of running off with Rinoa like that with her in that condition, he's gonna kill her."  
  
"I suppose this means that he's through being the leader and we're through fighting," Quistis said. "Welcome to never ending cycle of life."  
  
"No," said Zell. "I'm not going to give up. I didn't come all this way and give up a life at home with my Ma so I could be shafted like this. It's not going to happen. I'm gonna tell Squall how it is."  
  
"Be careful," Selphie said. "In the mood he's in, he'll probably snap."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll teach some sense into him."  
  
"Um, I think I should do that," said Quistis. "I think I can make him understand better and be a little less threatening."  
  
"You mean by asking to sleep with him?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing," said Zell. "Only joking."  
  
They heard a noise coming from outside.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I'll go and see," said Quistis.  
  
She got up, walked to the door and opened it. There standing was Squall holding Rinoa in his arms. It was pouring down with rain and they were both absolutely soaked. The look on Squall's face was so blank, it was mindless. He was shivering convulsively from the cold and Quistis looked at him in dismay.  
  
"Where the hell have you been?" Quistis said. "We've all been worried sick."  
  
"Sorry, I've just been doing some thinking."  
  
"Some thinking? For the love of Hyne, we've all been worried sick."  
  
"I somehow find that hard to believe."  
  
"You can't do stuff like that to us Squall, you just can't. You can't do it to Rinoa either, it's not fair."  
  
"You can't just come knocking on my door either and demand to stay here. I never said you could, you know, it's just that you think it's your right."  
  
"Squall, it's time to grow up and stop being such an immature jackass. Now is the time to work together and help us rebuild ourselves, let's rebuild our army and fight for the future."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah."  
  
Squall walked past Quistis leaving the door open and took Rinoa to the room and laid her down on the bed. He then went down where everyone was waiting for him. They all gave him harsh glares.  
  
"How could you take Rinoa out in weather like this?" Quistis asked.  
  
"I just had to get away from it all," said Squall. "I thought I was retired, but obviously you people seem hell-bent on preventing that. Why did you come here anyway? Was it purposely to try and break up our marriage, it seems that way to me Quistis. Obviously it made Rinoa's powers go all strange as well."  
  
"That couldn't have been our fault," said Irvine. "Now you're just being paranoid Squall, there's now way we could have triggered off that out burst. We were as shocked as you were."  
  
"Yeah, but you don't have to deal with it like I do."  
  
"She's our friend too, you know," continued Irvine. He tried to move closer to Squall, but he pushed him away.  
  
"We want to go back," said Quistis. "Like the glory days. Where we would fight together and it'd be great and now we don't have that, we don't have anything. We want to go back Squall, we want to continue fighting, but we need you."  
  
A long pause.  
  
"I'm sorry," said Squall. "I can't do that."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can't do that anymore, I've got a new life here. I love it here, I'm not going back, I've got too much to lose now."  
  
"How selfish can you get?" Zell said.  
  
"I'm not being selfish, I just feel that it's time to stop seeing that there's no point anymore now that Ultimecia is dead."  
  
"Yeah, but,"  
  
"No, it's not going to happen, I'm not gonna fight anymore and that's the end of the story."  
  
"If that's the way you want it," said Quistis. "Then fine."  
  
"And just to prove it, here,"  
  
Squall dejunctioned his GF's: Quezacotl, Siren, Cerberus, and Eden. They all looked on as he held the tiny crystals in his hands.  
  
"Fine," Quistis said. "If you want to be like that so be it."  
  
Quistis then dejunctioned her GF's: Shiva, Leviathan, Tonberry, and Doomtrain. The others followed her example until all the GF's were just crystals in their hands. They then threw them on the floor.  
  
"I guess we're not fighting then," said Quistis.  
  
"Suits me," said Zell.  
  
"I never wanted to go back anyway," Selphie said.  
  
"Good," said Squall. "Now I can throw these away for good."  
  
He picked up the tiny crystals and threw them out the window. They scattered on the ground reaching as far out as the train station. Squall was glad that they were all out of sight and he rubbed his hands together.  
  
"Okay, guys, what do you want to do now?"  
  
  
  
The others were all down stairs arguing about the GFs, but Zell was upstairs alone in the dark thinking. He could hear the incessant bickering from downstairs, it was disturbing his quiet and he didn't like it. Zell had had enough of all the arguments. He was sick to death of everyone's moaning and complaining so he looked out of the window.  
  
There he could see a tiny purple spot in the distance, it was circling around Esthar. It must be big if I can see it from all the way over here, Zell thought. The annoying chatter from downstairs wasn't going to go away any time soon so he laid down on his bed, closed his eyes and tried to forget about it all.  
  
Through his mind he could see the purple dot swirling round in his head, it was getting bigger and bigger, it engulfed his vision. The voices in the background were fading slowly and soon were gone. Zell was now unconscious to what was going on around him, he was on a journey far away and his mind was meandering through misty pathways crawling through the desert.  
  
Zell's eyes sprung open. It was still dark and the purple spiral in the sky was still going round Esthar, doing nothing but going round and round. Damn Squall, Zell thought, this is all his fault.  
  
He cursed to the ground and sat back down on his bed holding his head in his hands. He could hear all the noise coming from downstairs again, it was eating away at his flesh. Damn Squall, he thought again, this is all his fault.  
  



End file.
